I’ve been doing some research as I plan for my retirement in Italy and I’ve found what I think is reliable information on buying real estate in Italy. If you don’t have any interest in buying property in Italy I understand. Here’s a traveler’s account of his vacation in Rome with pictures and historical information thrown in. You can read that and skip my notes on buying Italian real estate. That site is on a free web page, and sometimes so many people visit the sites I link to that they shut down. If that link goes down, it’s because too many people tried to visit…

Buying real estate in Italy all starts with a proposal of purchase or proposta. This is a firm offer on the property and the buyer puts 1% of the purchase price into escrow (deposito fiduciario). The estate agent is responsible for this deposit (assuming the offer is accepted).

Then comes the preliminary purchase contract or preliminare

This is the contract, a promise to buy. 10 – 20 percent of the purchase price is deposited.

Then the notary checks the paperwork and after about a month, the final contract, rogito notarile, is signed in the notary’s office. The seller gets all the money and the buyer gets the deeds and keys to the property.

Finally, there are some taxes which I don’t quite understand. I think they are 3 or 4 percent depending on the seller. Then there are the real estate agent’s fees (3 percent + the tax) and the notary’s fees.

Sorry if this one was boring for you. It means a lot to me, so I hope you don’t mind too much.